Joyce Borger

I wonder what it was like to have a conversation with a friend who then disappeared in front of your very eyes. Can you imagine being part of a prayer meeting that lasted nine days while you prayed for, well, you weren’t entirely sure what to pray for, but you were told to wait and pray so you did? I wonder what it was like to be at that first Pentecost, to have felt and seen the Holy Spirit move in such a powerful way? I wonder how many times during those days the disciples turned to each other and asked, “Christ has ascended. Now what? The Spirit has come. Now what?” This issue of Reformed Worship asks that same question: Now what? What difference do Christ’s ascension and Pentecost have on our daily living and our worship? Christ has ascended, the Spirit’s come . . . now what? We begin with Christ’s ascension. In this issue we focus on the connection between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost. In doing so we consider the practice of using the nine days between the two celebrations to focus on the fruit of the Spirit and to pray that the fruit may grow in our own lives and in the church universal. See “The Fruit of the Spirit: Connecting Ascension and Pentecost” (p. 3) for service plans and a link to devotionals. For a confession litany related to the fruit of the Spirit, see page 10. Brian Hehn provides us with songs of mystery and diversity that are appropriate for Ascension Day and Pentecost Sunday worship (p. 11). Continuing our recent focus on including children and youth in worship, Michael Huerter looks at songs that encourage us to consider the experiences of different age groups in our congregations (p. 14). The Spirit’s presence in our lives as our comforter and advocate reminds us that we are not alone. Throughout the centuries the church has found particular comfort in the words of Psalm 23. This issue’s worship series provides twelve Sundays’ worth of worship suggestions as well as prompts that encourage faith practices to help us open ourselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the week. In addition to its many creative suggestions, this series also highlights the art of a high schooler and shows again how we might include our youth in various aspects of worship (p. 18). One way the Holy Spirit is at work in our worship is through the preparation for and preaching of God’s Word. The whole congregation participates in that work by listening intently and intentionally to God’s Word as it is proclaimed. John Witvliet suggests some practices for strengthening sermons (p. 29), while Scott Hoezee encourages the preaching of both trouble and good news (p. 34). Between the two articles is a reproducible resource intended to help all ages in your congregation listen to what the Spirit is saying through the preached Word (p. 31). This issue ends with two articles and a resource assuring us that the Holy Spirit is at work not only on Pentecost, but throughout the whole year and in all places, and then encouraging us to join in that work. Our hope is that just as the Holy Spirit is part of each article and resource, both explicitly and in less obvious ways, so too may you experience the working of the Holy Spirit in both the unexpected and the everyday. It is that faithful, daily work that is the answer to the question “Now what?” Now we allow our hearts, lives, and actions to be shaped by the Holy Spirit as we work alongside the Spirit to usher in God’s kingdom here on earth.

For those who use the lectionary, Year A brings us to Matthew 2 and the slaughter of the innocents. This is a difficult pericope and one that you might be tempted to skip over in lieu of Epiphany’s light. But there are important theological reasons to remember this part of the Christmas story and include it in your worship services. If you are struggling with how to do it, here are a few practical helps.

Whether you typically use the lectionary or not, the combining of the Easter story from Matthew with a psalm, a passage from Acts, and another from the letter to the Colossians provides a unique way of telling the Easter gospel message. The litany is arranged for four voices, with each voice reading one of the following texts: Voice 1: Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24 Voice 2: Matthew 28:1–10 Voice 3: Acts 10:39–43 Voice 4: Colossians 3:1–4 There are a few points in the reading of Psalm 118 where All the voices, voice 3, or voice 4 will speak, as indicated by the voice number and coordinating color. It is important that each voice has its own microphone so the script can flow naturally without breaks. Voice 1: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; All: his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1) Voice 2: After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. (Matthew 28:1) Voice 1: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; All: his love endures forever. Voice 1: Let Israel say: Voice 3: His love endures forever.” Voice 1: Let the house of Aaron say: Voice 4: “His love endures forever.” Voice 1: Let those who fear the LORD say: All: “His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1–4) Voice 2: There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. (Matthew 28:2–4) Voice 1: When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 118:5–6) Voice 2: The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:5–6) Voice 1: The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. (Psalm 118:14) Voice 2: “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:7–8) Voice 1: Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: All: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” Voice 1: I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. (Psalm 118:15–21) Voice 2: Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:9) Voice 1: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22–23) Voice 2: Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:10) Voice 1: The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. (Psalm 118:24) Voice 3: “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:39–43) All: Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Voice 1: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:25–27) Voice 4: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4) Voice 1: You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; All: God’s love endures forever. (Psalm 118:25–29)

It was dark. I found myself in the middle of an industrial complex that seemed entirely vacant, with not a car or living being in sight. The gas gauge of the rental car suggested I was almost out of gas. After passing exit after exit with no promise of a gas station, my not-so-great GPS had led me to this area, and as I drove further and further away from the highway, still no gas station appeared. With my two-year-old asleep in the back seat, I felt vulnerable and alone. The wilderness can be found as easily in the midst of a city as in the most secluded place on earth. It is as much a mental or spiritual feeling of loneliness, isolation, and vulnerability as it is a physical location. Normally we do everything we can to avoid the wilderness, but during Lent we are invited to journey into the wilderness. It is in that place of solitude and vulnerability that we often find ourselves most open to God. It is in the wilderness that important truths about life and death come into sharper focus. Few of us deliberately seek out the wilderness, though we all go through times of spiritual drought, thirst, and great need. But Scripture and our own experience testify to the fact that in these places God often shows up in profound and surprising ways. Normally we do everything we can to avoid the wilderness, but during Lent we are invited to journey into the wilderness. In this Lenten issue you will find “A Table in the Wilderness” (p. 3), a worship series through which you can invite your congregation to take a journey in the wilderness, stopping along the way to hear the testimonies of Jesus, the people of Israel, Hagar, Elijah, David, the hungry crowd, and the disciples, learning how God fed and ministered to them in their wildernesses. Connected with the worship series are resources for setting up an outdoor prayer path (p. 12). Another way to highlight the table provisions of God is through weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper (“Eating More Grace,” p. 16). There are more traditional Lenten resources in this issue as well, including services for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. For Easter we have provided a litany that uses Psalm 118 interspersed with several other Scripture texts to tell the good news of Easter. We continue our recent focus on children and youth with two insightful articles that speak more about older youth and young adults. These two articles appear in reverse order change text to read: The first article, “God Juice and Sticky Faith” (p. 44) reflects on how the faith of young adults is affected by how they participated in worship as children. The second article outlines how different generations speak about sin (“Sin Talk,” p. 47). We also have included another letter, this time addressed to the storytellers in our churches—including preachers (p. 42). Finally, we are grateful for the opportunity to share with you some artwork created by children. Of course, all our worship is meaningless and our creative expressions pointless if we don’t keep God at the center of our worship. “Behold God’s Power and Glory” (p. 40) provides some wisdom for doing exactly that. In case you are wondering, God answered my prayers. I made it back to the highway and eventually did find a gas station—a very different table in the wilderness, but a provision no less.

I’ve been thinking recently about how stories are uniquely human. Though some would argue that animals tell stories too, I’m not sure I agree. They certainly communicate, but that’s not the same as telling a story. Of course, I haven’t studied this, so someone could easily prove me wrong. But I contend that storytelling is part of our being God’s image bearers because God is the author of The Big Story. Already in Genesis 1 and 2 we find God telling a story—a story that reveals the origins of the world not in factual, scientific language but through narrative and poetry. Scripture itself is one long story of creation, fall, and redemption, a story that gets repeated again and again even in modern fiction, and a story in which we find our very selves. Good stories stick in our memories and become a part of us. Good stories reveal something about ourselves or the world. Good stories nourish, heal, inspire, and teach. Stories are uniquely human. They are a gift. Yet so often we ignore that gift. In Western culture, we certainly haven’t paid enough attention to the art of storytelling. We have much to learn from Indigenous cultures that have perfected this art and pass on their history, culture, and teachings through stories. We don’t often make room for stories in our lives or in our worship. We seem to have relegated stories to the realm of children. I wonder if, rather than seeing stories as a medium for truth telling, we have mistaken “story” for “fiction” (in the worst sense of the word). Or maybe stories are suspect because they aren’t directed at the head as much as the heart. Whatever the reason for overlooking our own stories, it’s time that we reclaim them and learn how to tell them well. The teachings of Jesus begin in story and end in symbol—they begin in parable and end in us. These are not Bible stories that we learn; these are our stories. —Leonard Sweet, Soultsunami This issue of Reformed Worship is full of ideas for storytelling. The issue begins with considering how we might best use the digital medium for embodied worship, a unique way of storytelling (p. 3). The worship series “What Is God Like” (p. 12) encourages us to use our imaginations and wonder together about what our great, awesome God is like even as we acknowledge that we can never fully describe or understand God. We tell the story of Christ’s birth through candle-lighting liturgies (p. 19) and children’s dramas (p. 27). We are encouraged to tell disturbing stories (p. 32), including the story of the slaughter of the innocents from Matthew 2 (p. 36). Rev. Scott Hoezee encourages pastors to use stories to pull people into the biblical text (p. 47). We learn about how churches in Scotland allow children to tell their stories through play in worship (p. 44), and we are offered a template for inviting individuals to tell their particular stories in a New Year’s Eve service (p. 40). What is your story? How do you see God in it? What is the story of your congregation? Your community? Where is the Holy Spirit at work in those stories? We hope this issue will spark your imagination as you look for ways to include the beauty and power of story in your worship so your people can confidently claim both God’s revelation in Scripture and God’s ongoing revelation in the life of individuals and communities as part of their stories.

When the coronavirus hit our communities and many worship services moved online, people began asking the question, “What about the kids?” Some churches were adept at answering that question, as it was one they already asked themselves regularly; those churches simply needed to adapt existing practices. For other congregations, it was a new question. Parents who had been taught explicitly or implicitly that they couldn’t worship with kids present or that kids needed their own worship experience found themselves trying to figure out how to engage in online worship alongside their children. Some parents simply didn’t believe it was possible and watched a recorded worship time after their children were in bed, or they stopped watching online services altogether. Other parents were greatly helped by churches that got creative. Some churches adjusted the length of their services, intentionally included elements that were child-friendly, or even experimented with including children in leading worship. Other churches created special worship bags that could be picked up or were delivered to homes to encourage worship participation. And some churches changed nothing. As I watched how congregations responded to this question, I was struck by the disconnect between what we believe and what we do. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to change hearts and lives, to speak to our souls in ways that don’t depend on our comprehension. We believe that the same Holy Spirit is present and active in our worship. Yet many of us don’t want our children present in worship until they can understand it—an argument we would never apply to other aspects of our lives, such as taking our children to sports events. We speak about the importance of the covenant and how everyone belongs, yet our actions often suggest that our children don’t really belong until they are more grown up. We refer to congregational worship as “adult worship,” and then wonder why our middle and high school students don’t feel they belong. There is a disconnect between our belief and our practice. There is a disconnect between our belief and our practice. I will not argue that our children should never be offered age-appropriate worship opportunities, and certainly every parent (and child) has a day when everyone would be better off with some time apart. Churches need to anticipate and provide for these situations. But what is your church’s default stance toward children in worship? What are you intentionally or unintentionally communicating to them? How might you better enfold children and youth so that they know they belong not just to the church but to God, that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through them, that they have gifts to bring and gifts to receive? What about the kids? In this issue of Reformed Worship we want to encourage worship leaders, pastors, parents, and church leaders to engage that question as it relates to worship. The issue contains excellent articles on topics ranging from how to preach with children in mind, to how to help children make meaning of their faith. Along the way, you will find many other practical suggestions and hear what other congregations are doing. In this issue, we have also tried to model the inclusion we’re talking about by including artwork created by children, as well as a thanksgiving prayer written by a young teen. This certainly isn’t the first time we have addressed the question, so I encourage you to spend some time in our digital library or on our website (ReformedWorship.org). We will continue to highlight the inclusion of children in worship in the next several issues of RW, so we invite you to send in your own ideas as well as contributions from children and youth in your church. Let’s keep exploring this important question together.

It’s never the goal to be caught in an in-between time—that time after what came before and before what comes after. The in-between time is a time of uncertainty. You’ve left what was known, but you haven’t quite arrived at the anticipated. It is often a time of anxiety, especially if you don’t know when it will end or how comfortable to get while you wait. It feels like we are living in an in-between time. There was the “before” time—the time before COVID—and there is the anticipated post-COVID time. Right now we are somewhere between the two, with a growing realization that it may be years before we reach a post-COVID state. Thankfully, our Savior Jesus is quite familiar with in-between times. Following Christ’s resurrection but before his ascension, Christ spent forty days in an in-between time. Sure, he had his resurrected body, but not his glorified body. He had risen from the dead but had not yet ascended to heaven to sit at God’s right hand. The disciples lived in an in-between time too as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit following Christ’s ascension. The church has been living in an in-between time since Pentecost: the Holy Spirit has come, but Christ has not yet come again ushering in a new heaven and a new earth. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantor that Christ too will come. The church has been living in an in-between time since Pentecost: the Holy Spirit has come, but Christ has not yet come again ushering in a new heaven and a new earth. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantor that Christ too will come. We live in a spiritual in-between time on a cosmic scale and in a physical and emotional in-between time as we journey through this COVID pandemic. Each of us at different times lives in an in-between time in our personal lives as well: the time between graduation and our first job, for example, or between the medical test and the diagnosis, or between the diagnosis and the recovery. But how are we to live as Christians in these in-between times? This issue provides some possible answers to that question. There are resources focused on Christ’s ascension, how his ascension assures us that we too will one day be in God’s presence, and how in the meantime we have someone sitting next to God Almighty who can intercede on our behalf. This issue also includes a worship series focusing on transitions and several articles focused on prayer and the psalms that provide us with many examples of how to live during this in-between time. We are reminded that it is not only acceptable for us to bring our sorrows and anxieties to God in prayer, but appropriate. As you plan and lead worship during this in-between time, may you be used by God through the power of the Holy Spirit to equip your people with worship experiences and faith practices that will sustain them in their life on earth even as they await Christ’s return.

I am reminded to be grateful for God’s gift of plenty and pray for those in need whenever I see a pumpkin.

If you are a parent, teacher, or person who works with youth, you’ve probably been asked this question: Do I have to apologize? But when a young person offends or hurts someone else and doesn’t really want to acknowledge it and humbly say they’re sorry, most adults insist they recognize and reflect on the effects of their action or inaction, apologize, and make amends. To acknowledge one’s failures and humbly apologize is a vital skill for being in healthy relationships and developing an honest opinion of oneself. If learning the skill of apologizing is important for having right relationships with people, how much more important it is to confess our sin when we are in the presence of our holy God! If we are a Christian, the most important relationship we have is with our triune God, whose purity and holiness illuminate our own failures and those of the covenant community to which we belong. In order to rightly live in relationship with God we must practice confession and ask for forgiveness for our sins against God, others, the creation God asked us to take care of, and even ourselves, as well as for the things we should have done but chose not to. This practice of confession and forgiveness is an encapsulation of the gospel message that we as God’s people need to be reminded of regularly. When we confess our sins in corporate worship, we are also teaching those gathered a spiritual discipline they will need the rest of the week as they struggle to live a holy life. But it goes even deeper than that. Our confession is always followed by God’s words of forgiveness. Indeed, it is because we are assured of God’s forgiveness that we have the courage to come clean. This practice of confession and forgiveness is an encapsulation of the gospel message that we as God’s people need to be reminded of regularly. For many congregations this is a weekly practice with set prayers. For others there is greater freedom in the words used, the mode (spoken by a leader, recited by the whole congregation, prayed silently, or sung), and the placement in the service. Yet in some worshiping communities the act of confession has been neglected. Outside of the weekly rhythm of worship, the season of Lent presents us with another opportunity to practice this discipline. Lent is naturally a season of reflection and penitence, a time to acknowledge how we, both individually and communally, need the perfecting work of a Savior. Within the context of the gift of redemption, our time of confession should not be depressing, but rather uplifting and hopeful. It is with that good news in mind that we’ve chosen in this issue to focus in part on the spiritual discipline of confession. If you are a pastor or worship leader wondering how to lead confession in a politically charged environment, check out Scott Hoezee’s “Let Us Repent,” part of his regular column “For Pastors.” John Witvliet connects the service of confession with the act of entrusting our whole selves to God. Andrew de Gelder offers the Lenten worship series “Good News,” and Deborah Ann Wong writes about fasting, another spiritual discipline related to the humble act of confession. Those are just a few of the many wonderfully thoughtful and creative resources you will find in this issue. May you be blessed by these gifts.

Recently someone asked me what five songs I think are important for every child in the church to know; songs that they would memorize and carry with them throughout life. What a wonderful, thoughtful, question! As I considered my response I wondered if it wouldn’t be more helpful to provide a list of things to consider when choosing songs to sing than an actual list of songs; that way the church could create a list that fit their context. So after some thought, here is a list of things I would consider when creating a core group of songs for children.